Who is involved?

The VTL is almost entirely volunteer-run! Along with our two staff members, our Board of Directors, volunteers, and members keep our organization moving forward.

Members

Members are the most important element of our organization! We have a constantly growing base of members who live in Vancouver and its surrounding municipalities.

Becoming a member of the Vancouver Tool Library through the (one-time) purchase of a $20 share is the only prerequisite to participation in the organization, and the open and inclusive nature of this membership is guaranteed by our status as a registered co-op. Members drive the direction of the organization and their projects are what inspire us to run our tool library. Collectively, they own, run, and democratically govern the VTL, in addition to using the resources we provide – workshops and free access to the tool library! More about becoming a member here.

Volunteers

The VTL’s Board of Directors depend on a strong team of volunteers to help them operate the organization. Our volunteer base is made up of members who help manage the shop, sit on committees (working groups chaired by our Directors), assist with fundraising events, help maintain and upgrade tools, and work behind the scenes to keep things running smoothly.

Are you interested in volunteering with the Vancouver Tool Library? Positions with varying time commitments are available with us. See the volunteer page for more info and to fill out an intake form.

Directors, Officers, and Staff

VTL Directors are the individuals who represent members’ interests at the organization’s operational level. Directors are elected to the Board by our membership at an Annual General Meeting, and serve a minimum of one year terms. The VTL’s Board of Directors consists of seven people who are responsible for overseeing everything entailed in the smooth operation of the organization, including strategic planning, budgeting, volunteer recruitment, and everything in between. Officers are volunteers who serve on volunteer committees and help Directors with specific projects. Our current Directors, Officers, and Staff include…

Chris Diplock, President

  • Chris is no stranger to tools and construction, having spent many hours installing roof-top solar panels and doing hobby projects in his spare time. In addition to his experience with tools, Chris brings his educational background in business finance and project management, as well as valuable experience gained while working on the board of  both a large non-profit and a workers’ cooperative. Chris recently completed a Certificate in Community Economic Development at Simon Fraser University and is now completing a degree in accounting at Langara College. He applies this diverse range of skills and interests to help develop the finance side of the VTL and foster the organizations relationships in the community.  In his spare time Chris enjoys triathlons, cycling, and playing tennis.

Craig Massey, Vice President

  • Craig spent his childhood in Saskatchewan holding the flashlight while
    his farmer father fixed everything. Now, thanks to advances in LED headlamp technology, his hands are free to build and fix too. Craig brings experience from other co-op boards and the BC Co-op Association to his goal of helping build a vibrant co-operative economy in Vancouver. When not scheming disruptive business ventures, he can be found trail-running or growing food (and then eating it). Craig rides a bike, but doesn’t particularly love it.

Caitlin Dorward, Director of Communications

  • Though a rookie in the tool-realm, Caitlin brings to the VTL the she has gained through her experience working with a number of other community based organizations including Sprouts, Food Secure Vancouver, and The Society Promoting Environmental Conservation. Caitlin has an undergrad degree in food policy from UBC and currently works for Kwantlen University’s Institute for Sustainable Horticulture.  She dreams of one day leaving the policy work at her desk to get her hands dirty on a real live farm, but for now makes do with her backyard garden and three golden comet hens. Caitlin fills spare moments with yoga, bike rides, and good people.

Brian Beaudry, Director of Tools

  • In his youth, Brian would spend most Saturday mornings building entire cities out of Lego while occasionally glancing up at the home renovation shows his father would be watching in the background. The glances eventually turned to raised eyebrows, and soon to the ogling of secret mitred dovetail joints. Renovations at home led to projects with Habitat For Humanity which led in turn to employment with a variety of trades. These days, when he is not treeplanting in some forsaken corner of the BC coast, Brian can be found making furniture out of salvaged wood, producing strange noises for Soundscape on CFRO Co-Op Radio, tending to his garden and orchard, collecting records, and fixing tools at the VTL.

Kathy Yan Li, Director of Volunteers

  • Kathy didn’t really grow up around tools. In fact she’s pretty sure the only tool she’s ever used before joining the tool library were scissors. She’s really handy with scissors. Figuring she needed to know how to safely use a jig saw in case of a zombie apocalypse, she took her first steps to getting there by acquiring a membership to the tool library. And she hasn’t looked back since. When she’s not figuring out new projects to embark on (her last was building a frame for her hops to grow on on her apartment balcony), she’s making beer and building useless gaudy monuments in Minecraft.

Lauren McGuire-Wood, Events and Communications Officer

  • Embarrassingly, Lauren’s experience with repairs and tools does not extend far past what is achievable with the Ikea tool set she acquired in university. Inspired by some of the incredible projects that are possible with the inventory at the VTL, she is looking forward to building a skill set (and continuing to make terrible puns). Lauren is always looking for ways to make her mark by contributing to great local projects. As a communications professional, her recent work has allowed her to collaborate with non-profit organizations involved in food security, community development, and poverty reduction. In her free time, Lauren enjoys exploring the city with camera in hand, cooking with ingredients fresh from her garden, and trading ideas with other passionate, socially-minded folks.

Geoffrey Vincent, Shop Manager

  • Geoffrey was raised in the swirling mists of Vancouver Island.  The son of a carpenter, he grew up surrounded by tools anddeveloped a strong appreciation for woodworking at an early age. Later in life, this appreciation would transform itself into a compulsive need to create and a respect for the tools that allow him to do so. Alongside this need to create is a strong sense of social and environmental responsibility and a grounding in his community. For Geoffrey, the VTL is a way to connect with others, share his own skills and experience, and to learn and be inspired by everyone he meets. When not in the shop, you can find Geoffrey brewing up a storm on his electric brewery, working in his garden, fixing and riding bikes, directing or crewing independent films, or far off in the forest, identifying and searching for native plants (and a little peace and quiet).

Zach Bullick, Graphic Design